“P” is for Praise houses

“P” is for Praise houses. Praise houses (sometimes called “prayer houses”) functioned on antebellum South Carolina plantations as both the epitome of slave culture and symbols of resistance to slaveholders’ version of Christianity. Generally simple, clapboard structures built by the slaves themselves, praise houses were erected with the knowledge--if not always the complete approval--of the master class. Gatherings   usually occurred on weeknights rather than on Sunday mornings. Enslaved Christians favored empty space over altars, kneelers, pulpits, and sometimes even chairs and pews. The resulting sparseness provided the slaves more room for “ring shouts” during often all night sessions of prayer and song. Weddings, funerals, and other activities centered on the praise house. Following emancipation some of the structures continued to serve the freedmen, providing them with a place for schools and public meetings.